Thread: Ron Paul Draws Large, Diverse Crowd in Pittsburgh

Ron Paul Draws Large, Diverse Crowd in Pittsburgh
When Ron Paul Came to My Town, I Decided to Check it Out for Myself
By C.M. Paulson
Published Aug 05, 2007

I've been following Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign for several months now (mainly through the internet and television debates), so when he came to Pittsburgh on Friday (his hometown and my current home), I decided to stop by and check him out for myself. For those of you who haven't followed Paul's campaign, he has a strong online presence, which has prompted political pundits such as Rush Limbaugh to call Paul supporters spammers.

I was a little late in getting to the suburban hotel where the rally was being held and was first taken by the fact that the parking lot was completely packed. Not only were there no spots left, but lots of people were parked on the side of the road because there was just no where else to park. This is a fairly large hotel with a sizeable parking lot, so I was pretty surprised by the lack of spots.

I walked around the hotel a little bit to see if there was anything else going on - no one in the hotel lobby, restaurant, or bar, so the packed house definitely was for Paul. Then I walked to the back of the hotel, where the rally was being held. Not only was the ballroom (which was composed of four large rooms) completely full, but people were streaming into the hallway.

What struck me most about the group wasn't its size though, but its diversity. There were old folks and young folks, families with kids, people of all colors. When I think of politics (and in turn political supporters), I think of middle-aged white men in suits. This crowd was probably the opposite of that - folks were dressed comfortably for the summer heat.

Another interesting thing is the large level of support for a Republican candidate in the Pittsburgh-area. Yes, Paul is from Pittsburgh, but he is rarely talked about here. For those who don't know, Pittsburgh and the surrounding area is largely Democratic (think unions and steel mills), so it was fascinating to see so much support for a Republican candidate in this area.

That doesn't mean that other Republicans have come through Pittsburgh in the past few months. John McCain had a scheduled fundraiser here this week that he missed due to canceled flights (this isn't the first time that he's dissed Pittsburgh either; he missed another Pittsburgh trip due to his Senate duties). Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have also visited Pittsburgh , but I don't remember seeing quite the crowds as those who came out for Paul (granted, Giuliani's stop was not a rally, just a visit, and I don't remember Romney's visit at all).

Maybe I was a "Doubting Thomas" before - the internet can muddy the waters and make things that aren't true seem as though they are. From what I saw on Friday night in Pittsburgh, Ron Paul's base is there. Whether the support will grow to the level necessary for him to win the nomination remains to be seen.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... crowd.html

People everywhere see that we need change.

I am not giving up on the American Citizen. I am giving up on the Media reporting what needs to be reported on our best candidates. I am not giving up on letting everyone on my e-mail list know about these candidates and am hoping it will start a chain of events. We are not going to hear about these hopefuls onTV.

Come on Ron Paul .... pull away from the pack .... the rest are more of the same .... this country cannot go through another Bush regime. We are all but the laughing stalk of the world and a shadow of or former selves

Good article...this is what you don't see in the MSM. Thanks for posting Jean! And I love your new avatar!

Originally Posted by imblest

Good article...this is what you don't see in the MSM. Thanks for posting Jean! And I love your new avatar!

Why thank you imblest!